There has been plenty of research released in recent months about the value of smart grid investments in the minds of business executives representing utility companies, as well as public sector and government organizations.But a new non-profit organization hopes to amplify the voice of the consumer in informed smart grid decision-making.

There has been plenty of research released in recent months about the value of smart grid investments in the minds of business executives representing utility companies, as well as public sector and government organizations.

The Smart Grid Consumer Coalition describes itself as a cooperative effort (not a trade association) dedicated to research and education about smart grid issues including potential applications, their reliability and thorny consumers such as data privacy. The acting executive director is well-known industry analyst Jesse Berst, who is managing director at GlobalSmartEnergy. Among the high-profile founding corporate members are Control4 Energy Systems (which was credited on sparking the idea), General Electric and IBM. Here's a list of all the founding members:

Magnolia/Best Buy

Control4

GE

GridWise Alliance (GWA)

IBM

NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory)

Ohio Consumers' Counsel (OCC)

Silver Spring Networks (SSN)

"Most consumers don't get yet or understand why they should even care about this stuff. ... We need to step back and start to educate consumers on why they should care," said Richard Walker president of Control4, on a press conference call to discuss the coalition.

The organization hasn't revealed what it costs to join, but it is encouraging advocacy, privacy and consumer groups to become involved -- it doesn't want fees to be a barrier.

A majority of those who DID the term believed smart grid technology could help with making better decisions about their electricity usage. But, as the GE survey illustrates, we have a long way to go before consumers can make truly educated decisions.

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